Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years.

Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return.

Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed her children.

Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk.

Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine.

Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the opportunity.

Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness or insecurities; remember, things could be worse. You could be one of them!

Now, you have a nice day.

God

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ONE OF THE BEST STORIES I'VE EVER HEARD! As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children an untruth. Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. However, that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.  Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he  did not play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. In addition, Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point                    where Mrs. Thompson would actually take          delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big 'F' at the top of his papers. At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught,              she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise. Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good  manners... he is a joy to be around..' His second grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is an         excellent student, well liked by his classmates,                but he is troubled because his mother has a           terminal illness and life at home must be a             struggle.' His third grade teacher wrote, 'His                 mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't            show much interest, and his home life will                 soon affect him if some steps aren't taken.' Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, 'Teddy is       withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends               and he sometimes sleeps in class.' By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem            and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students             brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper             that he got from a grocery bag. Mrs. Thompson took pains to open it in the          middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she            found a rhinestone bracelet with some of               the stones missing, and a bottle that was               one-quarter full of perfume. But she stifled            the children's laughter when she exclaimed            how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on,               and dabbing some of the perfume on her              wrist. Teddy Stoddard stayed after school            that day just long enough to say, 'Mrs.          Thompson, today you smelled just like my              Mom used to.'  After the children left, she cried for at                least an hour. On that very day, she quit          teaching reading, writing and arithmetic.          Instead, she began to teach children. Mrs.     Thompson paid particular attention to                Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind        seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged             him, the faster he responded. By the end of the           year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she              would love all the children the same, Teddy       became one of her 'teacher's pets..'  A year later, she found a note under her               door, from Teddy, telling her that she was the best teacher he ever had in his   whole life.  S ix years went by before she got another                 note from Teddy. He then wrote that he                 had finished high school, third in his class,               and she was still the best teacher he ever                had in life. Four years after that, she got another               letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school,               had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of         honors. He assured Mrs. Thompson that she was still the best and favorite              teacher he had ever had in his whole life. Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that       after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go                    a little further. The letter explained that she was              still the best and favorite teacher he ever had.                But now his name was a little longer.... The                   letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.  The story does not end there. You see,                there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he had met this girl and              was going to be married. He explained that              his father had died a couple of years ago                and he was wondering if Mrs.Thompson might       agree to sit at the wedding in the place that            was usually reserved for the mother of the groom. Of         course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with         several rhinestones missing. Moreover, she made sure she was wearing                the perfume that Teddy remembered his            mother wearing on their last Christmas           together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard      whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, 'Thank               you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me.                Thank you so much for making me feel           important and showing me that I could make                a difference.' Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes,           whispered back. She said, 'Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who                taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until                I met you.' (For you that don't know, Teddy Stoddard is           the Dr. at Iowa Methodist in Des Moines                 that has the Stoddard Cancer Wing.) Warm someone's heart today. . . pass this                   along. I love this story so very much, I cry every time I read it. Just try                 to make a difference in someone's life today? tomorrow? just 'do it'.  Random acts of kindness 'Believe in Angels, then return the favor'         =     What goes  around comes around The old homeless man slowly looked up. He saw a woman standing over him. This was a woman clearly accustomed to the finer things of life. Her coat was new. She looked like that she had never missed a meal in her life. His first thought was that she wanted to make fun of him, like so many others had done before. 'Leave me alone,' he growled. To his amazement, the woman continued standing. She was smiling -- her even white teeth displayed in dazzling rows. 'Are you hungry?' she asked. 'No,' he answered sarcastically. 'I've just come from dining with the president. Now go away.' The woman's smile became even broader. Suddenly the man felt a gentle hand under his arm. 'What are you doing, lady?' the man asked angrily. 'I said to leave me alone. Just then a policeman came up. 'Is there any problem, ma'am?' he asked. 'No problem here, officer,' the woman answered. 'I'm just trying to get this man to his feet. Will you help me?' The officer scratched his head. 'That's old Jack. He's been a fixture around here for a couple of years. What do you want with him?' 'See that cafeteria over there?' she asked. 'I'm going to get him something to eat and get him out of the cold for awhile.' 'Are you crazy, lady?' the homeless man resisted. 'I don't want to go in there!' Then he felt strong hands grab his other arm and lift him up. 'Let me go, officer. I didn't do anything.' 'This is a good deal for you, Jack,' the officer answered. 'Don't blow it..' Finally, and with some difficulty, the woman and the police officer got Jack into the cafeteria and sat him at a table in a remote corner. It was the middle of the morning, so most of the breakfast crowd had already left and the lunch bunch had not yet arrived. The manager strode across the cafeteria and stood by his table. 'What's going on here, officer?' he asked. 'What is all this. Is this man in trouble?' 'This lady brought this man in here to be fed,' the policeman answered. 'Not in here!' the manager replied angrily. 'Having a person like that here is bad for business.' Old Jack smiled a toothless grin. 'See, lady. I told you so. Now if you'll let me go. I didn't want to come here in the first place.' The woman turned to the cafeteria manager and smiled. 'Sir, are you familiar with Eddy and Associates, the banking firm down the street?' 'Of course I am,' the manager answered impatiently. 'They hold their weekly meetings in one of my banquet rooms.' 'And do you make a goodly amount of money providing food at these weekly meetings?' 'What business is that of yours?' 'I, sir, am Penelope Eddy, president and CEO of the company.' 'Oh.' The woman smiled again. 'I thought that might make a difference.' She glanced at the cop who was busy stifling a giggle. 'Would you like to join us in a cup of coffee and a meal, officer?' 'No thanks, ma'am,' the officer replied. 'I'm on duty.' 'Then, perhaps, a cup of coffee to go?' 'Yes, ma'am. That would be very nice.' The cafeteria manager turned on his heel 'I'll get your coffee for you right away, officer.' The officer watched him walk away. 'You certainly put him in his place,' he said. 'That was not my intent. Believe it or not, I have a reason for all this.' She sat down at the table across from her amazed dinner guest She stared at him intently. 'Jack, do you remember me?' Old Jack searched her face with his old, rheumy eyes 'I think so -- I mean you do look familiar.' 'I'm a little older perhaps,' she said. 'Maybe I've even filled out more than in my younger days when you worked here, and I came through that very door, cold and hungry.' 'Ma'am?' the officer said questioningly. He couldn't believe that such a magnificently turned out woman could ever have been hungry. 'I was just out of college,' the woman began. 'I had come to the city looking for a job, but I couldn't find anything. Finally I was down to my last few cents and had been kicked out of my apartment. I walked the streets for days. It was February and I was cold and nearly starving. I saw this place and walked in on the off chance that I could get something to eat.' Jack lit up with a smile. 'Now I remember,' he said. 'I was behind the serving counter. You came up and asked me if you could work for something to eat. I said that it was against company policy.' 'I know,' the woman continued. 'Then you made me the biggest roast beef sandwich that I had ever seen, gave me a cup of coffee, and told me to go over to a corner table and enjoy it. I was afraid that you would get into trouble. Then, when I looked over, I saw you pu t the price of my food in the cash register I knew then that everything would be all right.' 'So you started your own business?' Old Jack said. 'I got a job that very afternoon. I worked my way up. Eventually I started my own business, that, with the help of God, prospered.' She opened her purse and pulled out a business card. 'When you are finished here, I want you to pay a visit to a Mr. Lyons. He's the personnel director of my company. I'll go talk to him now and I'm certain he'll find something for you to do around the office.' She smiled. 'I think he might even find the funds to give you a little advance so that you can buy some clothes and get a place to live until you get on your feet. If you ever need anything, my door is always opened to you.' There were tears in the old man's eyes. 'How can I ever thank you? ' he said. 'Don't thank me,' the woman answered. 'To God goes the glory. Thank Jesus.. He led me to you.' Outside the cafeteria, the officer and the woman paused at the entrance before going their separate ways. 'Thank you for all your help, officer,' she said. 'On the contrary, Ms. Eddy,' he answered. 'Thank you. I saw a miracle today, something that I will never forget. And...And thank you for the coffee.' If you have missed knowing me, you have missed nothing. If you have missed some of my emails, you might have missed a laugh. But, if you have missed knowing my LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST, you have missed everything in the world Have a Wonderful Day. May God Bless You Always. And don't forget that when you 'cast your bread upon the waters,' you never know how it will be returned to you. God is so big He can cover the whole world with his Love and so small He can curl up inside your heart.          HAVE A SUPER GOOD DAY!!!

 There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child."
~ Erma Bombeck (1927-1996), American author and humorist

Remember, if Christmas isn't found in your heart, you won't find it under a tree."
~ Charlotte Carpenter.
 

 I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."
~ Charles Dickens (1812-1870), English author. From 'A Christmas Carol' 

 To the American People: Christmas is not a time or a season but a state of mind. To cherish peace and good will, to be plenteous in mercy, is to have the real spirit of Christmas. If we think on these things, there will be born in us a Savior and over us will shine a star sending its gleam of hope to the world."
~ Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933), American president. Presidential message (December 25, 1927).